'Sun World'
from The Sun
Saturday 5th July 2003 Highlands and Slowlands by Ian Weightman THE British Drifters are rather like the American band of the same name — they cruise along gently with their soulmates... and chill.
Welcome to Britain's inland water-
ways — one of the few places left where life still chugs along slowly. The Drifters, who tempted us on to the waterways, are a boating organisation that make it easy for beginners like me to cruise with confidence.
One of their members. Black Prince Holidays, have started to operate a relatively new route in Scotland.
The Lowland canals were re-opened last year with the completion of the multi-million pound Falkirk Wheel - an incredible rotating boat lift that was built to replace a series of lock gates.
Black Prince have three narrow-boats plying their trade in Scotland. The Rhona, Fiona and Sonata are all comfortable, modern narrowboats which sleep four to six. |
They start from the site of the Wheel, which links the Forth & Clyde and Union canals.
The revitalised Scottish waterway
means you can now cruise right into the heart of Edinburgh and Glasgow. But the best thing about a narrowboat holiday isn't so much the "where you have been" so much as the "how you get there". Spending time on the canals should carry a health warning.
It's an addiction. The more you have of it, the more you want. Maybe it's the ever-changing scenery that makes it so special. More than likely, however, it is that rare opportunity to sit back and relax, and get used to life in the slow lane.
What's the point in trying to hurry when your narrowboat only has one gear — slow?
It's like learning to drive your car again — but at a top speed of around three miles per hour.
And with all that time on your
hands, it's a perfect opportunity to plan your next cruise. |
